Board Sport Strap Assembly

ABSTRACT

A board sport strap assembly and method of training is disclosed to help a board sport rider maintain an athletic balanced position, helping to keep their feet in better contact with the sport board, providing stability and balance, enhancing and creating maneuvers, assisting movement, and improving balance and ease of learning. The assembly is made of two straps, each with a handle and a board end, the board ends of the straps being attached to the front of the board and the back of the board, respectively. The sport board rider grasps each handle, one in each hand, to assist with balance and to maintain an athletic position. The rider is able to lift on one or the other, or both, of the straps to lift, turn or otherwise move the respective ends, or both together, enabling the rider enhanced maneuverability and stability.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates specifically to an assembly for board sports, such as snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing and training and performance methods of snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION (Snowboards)

Snowboarding is a relatively new sport, the popularity of which increased dramatically in the 1990's. Unfortunately, snowboarding requires many physical body movements on the part of the rider which can be difficult to learn.

Snowboarding, like many other sports, is most easily learned by having the rider stand in an athletic position. This athletic position means having ones knees bent, buttocks low, back straight and head up. This position is encouraged in virtually every sport in the world. Using the edge of one's snowboard to turn and maneuver can be very difficult and dangerous. If riders stand up straight and end up going down the hill back first, they will typically catch the snowboards downward edge and fall backward at a great rate of speed.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The board sport described herein is snowboarding, although any type of sport using a board, including, but not limited, to skateboarding and surfing, can utilize the strap assembly.

A strap assembly is described to assist the snowboarder with the athletic position. The strap assembly also gives the rider significantly more control of their snowboard by creating two additional points of contact with the snowboard for the rider's hands. By creating these two new points of contact for the hands, and keeping the rider in an athletic position, the rider gains a new and greater level of control of their snowboard.

The strap assembly is securely attached to the ends of the snowboard. The straps can be adjustable and can be adjusted up or down to put the rider in a bent knee athletic position or the straps can be elastic. The straps can be made of any type of strong, flexible material, such as canvass or nylon or the like, or a woven or elastic material. Each strap has a handle at the end that is not attached to the snowboard. With the rider holding onto the strap assembly by the handles, the snowboarder can still move their hands freely for balance. Being balanced is the key to snowboarding success. The snowboarder most importantly can pull up on the snowboard in every upward or sideways direction to assist with balance and maneuvers. If the rider is in an athletic position when they fall, the impact to the ground will be lessened.

The strap assembly can be affixed at different positions at the end, front and sides of the board, to offer greater turning, maneuverability and performance. Although the straps are initially a training feature, they will also aid seasoned snowboarders in creating new tricks and enhancing existing maneuvers by giving them two extra points of contact with their board.

Accordingly, there is a need for this device which allows a snowboarder an easier and safer snowboarding learning experience. It also offers all snowboarders the opportunity to create new tricks and maneuvers while enhancing existing ones. The two new additional points of contact and control of the snowboard, offer a new greater level of control to the rider.

Beginner snowboarders tend to stand up straight with their knees locked. This position/stance makes it very difficult to balance and turn while snowboarding. This straight up and down position/stance makes it very difficult for the snowboarder to perform the necessary maneuvers to successfully make it down the hill. This straight up and down position/stance often causes a snowboarder to wrongly head down the hill backwards heels first, or forward toes first, (also referred to as toe or heal long edge), opposed to correctly moving down the hill with either tip of the snowboard leading down the hill. This wrong position is very dangerous because the snowboarder often catches the toe or heals long edge, stops abruptly, and crashes to their back or front. Crashing to the ground a snowboarder is likely to brace their fall with their hands, therefore injuring their wrists, or they hit their tailbone, and most critically the back of their head.

This strap assembly assists the beginning snowboarder in keeping their knees bent and to maintain an athletic balanced position. This athletic balanced position, along with two additional points of contact with the board, assists the beginning snowboarder to turn and maneuver so as to successfully descend the hill. Lifting and pulling on the strap assembly also helps the snowboarder turn and stop. If a snowboarder does catch the toe or heal long edge while using this strap assembly, their fall impact to their back or front is lessened due to the lower height of the fall and the body's recoil upon ground impact.

The intermediate and advanced snowboarders are also assisted by the strap assembly. It enhances and assists with their athletic position, adds two additional points of contact with their snowboard, assists them in turning, jumping, grinding, flipping, stopping and propelling them on flat ground while keeping their feet/boots in their bindings. It will enhance and improve virtually all board control aspects of snowboarding. By pulling up on the strap assembly, pulling left, right or back they will have more control over their board.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The preferred embodiment of the strap assembly includes two adjustable elastic or non-elastic straps, one for the right and one for the left hand, which are affixed near the ends/tips of the snowboard, although one strap can also be used, affixed to one end of the snowboard. The preferred embodiment of the strap material would be some type of inelastic, strong, flexible material that would weather the condition of winter and snow. Some riders need a direct strong pull on the snowboard to get the desired performance, while others may need less force to maneuver. The strap assembly being attached to the end of the snowboard will also create some upward bend to the board which assists the rider in providing momentum and lift. The strap assembly has attachment means, such as a clip or the like, at one end that easily allows the snowboarder to attach and detach the strap assembly from a bracket or mount hook on the physical snowboard. The strap can also be fixedly attached to the board as well. The bracket or hook is attached directly to the board, such as by drilling four holes near the end of the snowboard and using four bolts, washers and nuts to attach it, or the hook could be attached to the snowboard with four screws by securing it into four preexisting screw mounts that are built into the snowboard. Other attaching means can also be used. The opposite end of the strap has a rigid straight handle, preferably perpendicular to the direction of the strap, for the snowboarder to hold onto. The straps should be adjusted down to a length that forces the snowboarder to stand with bent knees and back straight while holding onto the handle ends of the strap assembly.

The snowboarder will use the strap assembly by lifting and pulling in a variety of directions, for balance, to assist with turning, assist in jumping, assist in spinning, assist in stopping, and assist in walking/ambulating while their feet/boots are still in the bindings.

The strap assembly can be easily adjusted up or down. The strap assembly can be easily attached and removed from the mounts on the snowboard by opening up the end of the hook with their thumb or finger.

The ridged handles on the hand end of the strap assembly are independent of one another and can be let go, dropped or released with ease.

These two additional points of contact, along with the athletic position assistance, will greatly improve the snowboarder's ability.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the strap assembly in use on a snowboard with a rider.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the top of the strap assembly in use on a snowboard with a rider.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In FIG. 1 the rider 1, holds onto the strap assembly 2, by the handle 3. The strap 4 is connected to the handle 3. At the end of the strap 4 is hook swivel 5. The strap 4 loops through the hook swivel 5 and is connected to a slide lock 6. The slide lock 6 is adjusted up or down to change the length of the strap assembly 2 to put the rider in the desired bent knee stance.

Other embodiments include any type of attachment means to secure the strap 4 to the board 7, and any other configurations of a handle 3, so long as the handle 3 offers the rider a secure hold of the strap assembly.

Referring to FIG. 2, an attachment means 5 a is shown, rather than a hook swivel, to attach the strap 4 to the board 7, and the strap 4 is shown to be non-adjustable, thus without a slide lock 6, which is yet another embodiment. 

I claim:
 1. A board sport strap assembly comprising a sports board and a strap, the sports board comprising two ends, the strap comprising a board attachment end and a handle end, the strap attachment end comprising attachment means and the strap handle end comprising a handle, the attachment means being attached to the sports board near one of the ends of the sports board and the handle being held by the sports rider, whereby the rider, standing on the sports board and holding the handle end of the strap, pulls up on the strap thereby lifting the end of the sports board, making it easier to turn, jump and maneuver the sports board.
 2. The board sport strap assembly of claim 1 wherein the sports board is a snowboard.
 3. The board sport strap assembly of claim 1 wherein the sports board is a skateboard.
 4. The board sport strap assembly of claim 1 wherein the sports board is a surfboard.
 5. A board sport strap assembly comprising a sports board and two straps, the sports board comprising a front end and a back end, each of the two straps comprising a board attachment end and a handle end, each strap attachment end comprising attachment means and each strap handle end comprising a handle, the attachment means of one strap being attached to the sports board near the front end of the sports board and the attachment means of the other strap being attached to the sports board near the back end of the sports board, and each handle being held by the sports rider, whereby the rider, standing on the sports board and holding the handle ends of the straps, pulls up on one or both of the straps thereby lifting one or both ends of the sports board, making it easier to turn, jump and maneuver the sports board.
 6. The board sport strap assembly of claim 5 wherein the sports board is a snowboard.
 7. The board sport strap assembly of claim 5 wherein the sports board is a skateboard.
 8. The board sport strap assembly of claim 5 wherein the sports board is a surfboard.
 9. The board sport strap assembly of claim 5 wherein one or both of the straps comprise an adjusting means and are adjustable in length. 